If you are participating in the Glow Kids Collegial Circle PD, please respond to the following questions by entering and publishing a comment on the blog. You may also keep the conversation going by replying to other participants' comments!
A copy of the blog posts will be supportive documentation for
the Collegial Circle.
After reading Glow Kids, please respond to the following questions:
1. What is the central idea discussed in the book? What issues or ideas does the author explore? Are they personal, sociological, global, political, economic, spiritual, medical, or scientific
2. Do the issues affect your life? How so—directly, on a daily basis, or more generally? Now or sometime in the future?
3. What are the implications for the future? Are there long- or short-term consequences to the issues raised in the book? Are they positive or negative...affirming or frightening?
4. What solutions does the author propose? Are the author's recommendations concrete, sensible, doable? Who would implement those solutions?
After participating in the Collegial Circle, please respond to the following “final outcome” questions before Feb. 1. Your feedback will help in submitting the Final Outcome statement for PD approval. These are the questions the RCSD requires to approve individual hours:
A copy of the blog posts will be supportive documentation for
the Collegial Circle.
After reading Glow Kids, please respond to the following questions:
1. What is the central idea discussed in the book? What issues or ideas does the author explore? Are they personal, sociological, global, political, economic, spiritual, medical, or scientific
2. Do the issues affect your life? How so—directly, on a daily basis, or more generally? Now or sometime in the future?
3. What are the implications for the future? Are there long- or short-term consequences to the issues raised in the book? Are they positive or negative...affirming or frightening?
4. What solutions does the author propose? Are the author's recommendations concrete, sensible, doable? Who would implement those solutions?
After participating in the Collegial Circle, please respond to the following “final outcome” questions before Feb. 1. Your feedback will help in submitting the Final Outcome statement for PD approval. These are the questions the RCSD requires to approve individual hours:
How did your work within this Collegial Learning
Circle impact teaching/learning? Include implementation samples; student work
samples, lesson plans, observations, peer reviews, etc.
Provide evidence that as a result of this professional
learning you have improved/enhanced your practice and more effectively
addressed student learning.
Provide evidence that this experience has had an impact on student learning and achievement has increased.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe effects of screen time are something that I knew had negative aftermaths for our students, but Glow Kids really brought to light some serious points. The combined time spent per day on Chromebooks, cell phones, TVs, etc. is estimated around 9 hours for students in grades 2 – 12. This has led to possible connections to multiple mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and isolation, and at that age group, students are already more susceptible to them.
ReplyDeleteAt school before we enacted the Cell Phone Procedure, students were glued to their screens and would be in a state of panic if they couldn’t physically touch or see them. It looked like an addiction. Their eyes would sneakily dart to their laps when the teacher wasn’t looking. Their lunch periods would have tables full of students interacting, but not face-to-face. Their hallways were almost impassable due to the number selfies and videos being taken. They needed to post them to social media to get the instant gratification, which came from their peers’ eyes sneakily darting to their laps when the teacher wasn’t looking.
Once the Cell Phone Procedure was enacted at the start of this school year, it’s clear to see the changes around the whole building. I’ve heard colleagues claim they gained time back in the classroom from having to not ask for phones to be put away. Students are talking, actually talking, face-to-face in the cafeterias and hallways. I wouldn’t doubt that students who struggle with reading body language and inflection are strengthening their communication skills. Personally, I have noticed a decrease in students who are chronically tardy to class as well as a drop in the number of bullying incidents. Students aren’t distracted when the cell phone bin gets delivered in their last period which makes it seem like the anxiety about not being able to see or touch their phone 24/7 has subsided.
I truly believe the Cell Phone Procedure has been a great start to controlling the amount of screen time our students have. I have even noticed a decrease of phone use myself in the building. I try to not use my phone around students in the hallways or during free periods so as to not model the addicted behavior. It’s frightening to see my iPhone light up on Sunday morning showing me data and graphs on how much time I spent on my phone that week, especially when it gives a time breakdown of each app. Maybe I should enact my own Cell Phone Procedure.
I have also noticed a reduction in the amount of bullying / inappropriate texting that can take place during the school day due to cell phones not being allowed. I have noticed this due to the reduction in suspensions that would result from fights that would happen due to inappropriate student interactions on their cell phones during the day that would later, lead to an escalation/ verbal fighting or actual fighting later.
DeleteI have also noticed more focused attention, students actually talking to each other, and less bullying and fights in school.
DeleteDolly Parker please see under Glow Kids Book in Library below
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe book Glowkids talks about how kids are being effected by screen time and how it can have negative effects on them. Leading to what Dr Kardaras states from his research that screen time can show that it can injuriously contribute to underlying perfect storm of genetic, psychological, environmental and neurobiological factors. He has found that kids are becoming more withdrawn, a decrease in attention span, focus, imagination, and physical fitness.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has made it where we can access the internet, connect with long lost friends, check our email, pay bills, get directions and even scan and create documents all on one device. Yes this is a great intervention, but when it is abused or not used appropriately it can be detrimental to our society. In the school that I work in we have started a procedure where cell phones are collected as soon as the student enters the building and are kept in a secure place until dismissal. Students at first were against it and were having the feeling of not having control over there life. Before cell phones were collected , I use to have to try and teach as well as patrol for cell phone usage. Students were so connected to their phones that as soon as they felt it buzz or heard it buzz they had to look to see what it was. They were very unfocused. During their lunch time, students would sit 5 or 6 at a table and they all would be on their phones not having a conversation. Students would walk down the hall with their headphones in and have no clue what was going on around them. All of these are huge issues to me.
Since cellphones have been collected hallways are walk able, students are actually having face to face conversations, I can teach and not have to worry who is on their phone and not paying attention to me. Students are on time to class and not lingering in the hall. If there is an altercation in the hall, there are no phones out recording and airdropping the video, and administration can clear the situation quickly. I would like to think that there is less social media drama during the school day as the cannot be posting and checking their snapchat. Now I have to say, they are still using every minute in the morning getting that last song, video, snap, tiktok, message, phone call, etc in before they have to turn it in and as soon as they get it back they are glued to the screens looking at what they missed, but during the day, NO ISSUES!
I know personally I have had to limit the use of our own devices so we can connect as a family. They are not allowed when we are eating dinner or out to eat. At night they are off by 8 so we can come together and watch a movie, show, play a game, or just talk as a family. Sometimes it is a struggle but I think that it is necessary. I do believe that its an addiction, but with little work we can overcome it.
As with anything else, moderation is key. Too much screen time is detrimental to students. Unfortunately many students that we see at SOTA do not know when too much is too much. The book we read does a great job of explaining the negative consequences of too much screen time on the brain.
DeleteThe author explains the research including both the medical and scientific implications at great length and detail. Students spending too much time in front of screens is a HUGE distracting mechanism. I have found it useful to explain this to students when they complain about the cell phone policy.
Implications for learning. Its true that we as teachers no longer have to 'fight the battle' to turn the phones off and put them away with the cell phones collected in the morning. Students no longer have a significant distraction at their fingertips all day long to distract them. This is a huge help to getting students to focus on what they are here for....learning.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI have watched students slowly become more and more addicted to their phones since I started teaching 14 years ago. this is the second school where I have participated in cell phone collection and the second school where I was able to see the change in learning culture. Without the cell phones most students are more involved in their education in the classroom without the distraction/addiction of their cellphones.
DeleteWe have all heard about the effects of screen time on both students and adults, but the book GlowKids really brought to light some of the things that are happening especially to students. In an era of being "connected" our students are becoming even more disconnected. What used to be social norms are no longer recognized by our students and it has a negative effect on them both in the real world and on social media. There has been a dramatic increase in anxiety, depression, and a feeling of being alone.
ReplyDeleteSince our school has enacted it's cell phone policy I have seen a definite upswing in student morale and interaction. Students are getting to class on time on a more frequent basis and it is easier to move through the hallways. In the past it was difficult to navigate the hallways because students were constantly taking selfies and blocking the hallways, causing students to be late for class and an increase in issues in the hallway. Fighting has decreased, and relationships between students has increased.
As a teacher, I feel it has also had a positive effect on the classroom. Students are more engaged and there are no longer confrontations in class when I have to tell a student to put their cell phone away or send them to the office because their cell phone is out. It has allowed me to take my class back.
While our cell phone policy is in no way completely correcting the problem, it is nice to see that it is having a positive effect on both the students and adults in our building. Perhaps our students are starting to see that they don't always "need" to be on their phone and that being on there too much does in fact have a negative impact on them socially, emotionally, and educationally.
The cell phone procedure adopted by our school is a quick fix to a growing epidemic. At this point sustainability needs to be our focus as a school and community. Glow Kids is just more proof that when technology is abused children suffer the most. Technology has become the new babysitter, or the reason why the kids are less engaged in non-technological activities, and is most often used as a primary resource for teens who want answers to questions they don't want to ask out loud.
ReplyDeleteObviously, this was not the main goal of people who sought out the improvement and advancement of technology in day to day living, but similar to us they were not prepared for the repercussions of the product. I would say that taking cell phones away has cleared up many problems, but conversely has created ones that I wasn't prepared for in the building. I have noticed that the students are angrier and struggling with how to conduct themselves without their phones in front of them. I actually found humor in their anxiety about not having a phone on them, for a just in case moment. I was shocked at how parents were appalled with our decision and communicated that more than questions about our curriculum and teaching. This is a clear representation of what our community values.
As we continue to revise our process we need to keep in mind that this is something that we all wanted in one way or another. We understand that technology is important, but as a community we need to stand behind a process that is helping our students learn.
It is always entertaining to watch the videos of the people falling into water fountains at malls, or walk into walls because they are staring at their screens. After reading Glow Kids, it is not as funny. Adults are one thing... but what technology use is doing to an entire generation of children is frightening. Long gone are the days of passing notes and parents answering the phone! I watched my 13-year-old niece over Christmas vacation absolutely glued to her phone or iPad for hours and hours and hours. Teenagers have a need to fit it. Not having access to technology can be socially devastating. Last year, I saw kids with their “boyfriend in their pocket” on FaceTime all day. The constant checking, anxiety about social media, and fear of missing out. It all contributes to a culture of immediate gratification, and constant hypervigilance. I recently read a blog about how technology use may be affecting children’s score on Block Design (a cognitive subtest) because they are in a 2D world instead of playing with Legos and building card houses. Another observation is the impact of Chromebooks and the distraction those create.
ReplyDeleteThe author’s solution is treatment for those with actual technology addiction, and raising social awareness and creating social change. The first sounds much easier! The world is slow to change. I remember an old test question on a cognitive test – what are the disadvantages of rapidly changing technology (or something similar). The answer seems obvious in today’s world. I don’t think it was anticipated what it would do! From structure changes in the neck from looking down, to car crashes, even situations like Sandy Hook that the author discussed. Technology can be a “developmental hazard” from learning to socialize with others, play outdoors and get dirty, and lessen the amount of focus on what is right in front of you.
I am very happy that SOTA decided to take cell phones this year. I hope it continues and becomes a model for all schools.
Glow Kids shed light on the already suspected damage that screen time is causing for our children. Nicholas Kardaras, the author of Glow Kids explores the negative clinical and neurological effects that screen time has on our children. He provides research that supports his argument and first hand stories of families dealing with the negative effects of technology addiction.
ReplyDeletePrior to this year, it was a daily struggle managing cell phone use in the classroom. Although we had procedures in place, the students frequently challenged the rules. They would forgot to turn their phones off, wanted to respond to parent text messages and phone calls, wanted to listen to music, frequently asked to use the bathroom in order to use their phones and on many occasions had to be removed from classroom due cellphone violations. The distraction of the phones negatively impacted teaching, learning and relationships between the students and staff.
The new policy of taking cell phones has definitely made an impact on decreasing the interruptions and confrontations in school. This school year, I have only reported one cell phone violation compared to last year when it was happening frequently throughout the week. The students are more engaged with each other and less distracted by their electronics. Being a part of the cell phone collection team has been a positive experience and helped me to maintain and develop new relationships with the students. As educators we place so much emphasize on the importance of developing positive relationships and this policy has brought us one step closer to making connections with our students.
I take from Glow Kids that our goals and expectations for technology stand in stark contrast to the consequences of the same technology upon our humanity. The author challenges the assumption that there is a direct correlation between exposure to technology in youth and improved educational outcomes. On the contrary, according to Glow Kids, overexposure to screen technology is resulting in a sort of addicted generation propping up a multi-billion dollar industry.
ReplyDeleteWe need look no further than our own classrooms to see the author’s hypothesis manifest. In past years the distraction of cell phones, off task temptations of in room computers, and even smart boards gripped student attention in its most vulnerable moments. In-class screens create as many roadblocks to as they do pathways to the learning process. Still school districts nation wide embrace Google classroom, widely distributed chrome books and ubiquitous media technologies.
In my experience the behavior around screen technology looks like an addiction. Students are so strongly affirmed by their screen activity that they are not capable of pulling focus away. I found the case for addiction especially clear this year with the establishment of the SOTA cell phone policy. In late September my shop students spontaneously reacted to the removal of their cell phones by cutting and decorating chunks of scrap wood to resemble cell phones. The students then proceeded to have conversations and mimic texting and surfing on their mock phones. Several students commented on how the activity was pleasurable and alleviated their stress at the loss of their pocket technology during the school day. I found discussion of the “Text Effect” in Glow Kids to be very relevant to my personal experiences in this event and others.
The issue of constant accessibility to technology affects my life in some similar ways, I’m human after all. The stakes for me are very different, but the potential for technology to derail my goals and responsibilities in exchange for the dopamine pleasure of just one more level or post are a constant struggle in my life. The current school cell phone policy has been beneficial to me in creating almost perpetual mindfulness of the issues of addictive technology in my world.
The conclusions to be drawn from Glow Kids are to be taken with a grain of salt, I think. Many of the issues of developing metal illness, onset of violence, changes in habit, temperament and personality are long observed functions of human adolescence dating far before the advent of screen technology. Looking deeper, there are also many, if not more, examples of well-adjusted socially stable young people who engage in copious amounts of screen activity. Also, considering the decades long fall in the rate of violent crime relative to the broader history of violence in America and the wider world, the author’s case that our culture is less empathetic, more prone to violence and social discord due to technology does not ring true.
In truth, I find he Author’s rhetoric and conclusions to be over dramatized and over simplified. The application of the “Parable of the Cave” is not as apt as he thinks, for instance. The author deeply short changes the malleability in the construction of human reality throughout history, as well as how the perception and the representation of reality has always been a product of its time.
Not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, though. I think screen addiction is a real problem with deep psychological and physiological roots. It is responsible, if not essential, to self-reflect on one’s use of technology, and to monitor, teach and appropriately regulate the use of technology for younger more impressionable people. In this way we can work toward the goal of helping to be more present and less distracted in learning and social discourse.
This is from Ken Canfield
DeleteThe book Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids-and How to Break the Trance deals with the effects screens have on children, their developing brains, social skills and personalities. For anyone who acknowledges that modern technology is not a panacea, this book gives examples and proof to back it up. Whether it be the addictive and destructive effects of video games, the similarities between drugs and tech addiction, ADHD and screens, or even the mania for instituting new tech-classrooms, Glow Kids deals with it.
ReplyDeleteDr. Kardaras addresses the core of the tech problem with personal examples encountered during his career as an addiction expert. In one case, he counseled a young man who thought he was truly living in a video game. The boy was so addicted that he lost sleep for long periods of time and fell into a state of tech psychosis, which shocked Dr. Kardaras. This case was one of the catalysts that convinced Dr. Kardaras that the new yet often unaddressed problem of glow kids had to be tackled.
Beyond problem diagnosis, the book offers solutions to overcome digital addiction and treatment options. From tech “fasting” to age appropriate tech exposure, Dr. Kardaras uses common sense and balanced logic to prevent or stop the glow kid problem. His methods are proven: in fact, he works with scores of people at an addiction recovery center in New York, treating screen addiction with many of the same methods used to treat drug addiction. Most importantly, his solutions are serious and effective.
I agree that Dr. Kardaras's examples of tech mimicking drug addiction is one of the most prevalent themes. In addition, his method to cure the screen addiction is akin to curing drug addiction is an effective and logical method.
DeleteIt’s true-in the 90’s I played Tetris so much I saw shapes falling-when I wasn’t even playing! I’ve dabbled enough with video games recently to vaguely understand the reality-warping addiction of the “digital drugs’ outlined in Glow Kids.
ReplyDeleteThe author, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, offers powerful arguments (with data) regarding how tech is reshaping younger generations. It goes way beyond my “Tetris Effect” experience. At the outset, the author parallels brain scans of real drug addicts with brain scans of “tech-whipped” kids(!)…and was my first WOW moment reading this book. Another example occurred when he stated that video games offered similar gains in pain management for those suffering from surgeries, etc. Other arguments included offered similar mini-doomsday scenarios with kids who never go outside, don’t learn to socialize in real life, don’t develop cognitive skills, as well as students with tech onset ADHD. I hesitate to say that because I “suffered” from the Tetris Effect that I believe all these assertions are 100% true all the time –they are a warning, and all educators (and parents) should proceed with caution. Especially with chrome books in schools. The “Educational Trojan Horse”.
I use tech every day in the classroom; it helps me-I’m sure it benefits us all. I have questioned if I used it enough in my classroom…and how could I utilize it more…I didn’t want to waste an opportunity when technology was so readily available to the students. Tech, as one of many tools, has reshaped how I reach the students-for the better-but now I don’t doubt if I use enough in the classroom. After reading Glow Kids, I, on a personal level, sense that sometimes students should just do a project on card stock, with colored pencils, socializing a bit while they work. No guilt.
I have also perceived a change in the way many students have approached and reacted to the phone-collection situation. The cravings subside. I have observed the same student pacing at 2:24 (and 58 seconds) period 9 in September to having to be reminded to come get their phone at 2:28 two weeks ago. I have even witnessed students making the decision to leave their phone at home. (WOW!)
I don’t think we’ll ever return to the days of only worrying about the old standbys: drugs and alcohol. We need to accept that there is another form of addiction younger generations deal with and it can be just as damaging.
-Sean O'Connor
DeleteDr. Karadars can seem heavy handed in his treatment of technology in his book Glow Kids. The acknowledgment that kids are using cell phones (or other devices) too many hours of the day is central to the books main theme. There is increasing evidence to support this theory. THe solutions section did offer more grounded advice to help limit (or at least recognize) use of devices.
ReplyDeleteThe cell phone policy at School of the Arts focuses on removing a source of a major distraction from the school day. It was a daily distraction and as well as a means to continue not school related activities at all times.
Many asked why they couldn't simply turn it off and away during the day. Aside from the obvious rule breakers (and the many trips to the bathroom) research suggests that the device still takes up mental space as the truly "addicted" user is thinking about what may be on the phone. This occupies mental space and is a distraction in and of itself. Only a physical separation can free up this mental space.
As for a result, I can say that I tracked the start times and they are 2-3 minutes sooner as the ritual putting away of the phone is not there as well as the violation calls to the office. It doesn't take much daily time to add up to a huge amount of instruction time. Two minutes a day is 8 more school days alone!
I also noticed that the students are talking to each other directly. It was a slow process as I truly believe that they do not do this very often. The interaction they have with each other is no longer device driven, but conversation driven. That alone is worth the effort.
--Brian Gallagher
The book is cautionary about the short term and long term damage that screens and technology can have on the brains of individuals and the desensitized society. The book draws parallels between screens and narcotics. The author touches on how the overstimulation of screens desensitizes experiences and causes psychological disorders. Then discusses how access to anything can cause trauma, especially with younger viewers. The book also says over stimulations and second realities created in video games creates a fractured sense of reality and a lack of resilience. The book speaks to how too much screen exposure crushes creativity and imagination because it obliterates the experience of imagining an image. The author isn’t anti technology and embraces technology as long as it isn’t unhealthy. The author brings up how dependency on technology has eroded memory and skills. It also talks about the social and emotional impact it has on teens and the link to depression and anxiety due to being overly connected but not feeling true and authentic relationships. It also talks about how technology can disrupt brain development and social emotional and cognitive skills. The overstimulated brain is then excessively tired and struggles when kids are in school. The author compares healthy technology to digital veggies and unhealthy to digital candy or junk food. The issues directly affect my life on a daily basis. Working in a school with children it gives me more insight to how technology has impacted their development and has made me really consider the role technology should play in the classroom. I like that the author mentioned that the brain is plastic and able to repair and reverse some of the damage. The long term effects are frightening in regard to the “junk food” analogy of using technology in ways that are unhealthy. It makes me concerned for the future generations as they have had more exposure to technology and screens compared to our current students I am enjoying the phone free school environment and the emphasis that we have been able to put on being present. The author proposes a digital detox and replacing screen time with authentic interactions.
ReplyDeleteI have observed students having less distractions since the implementation of the cell phone collection in the morning. Students are having more authentic conversations and interactions with one another. During discussions students seem more present during their reflections. In the class work I have tried to really emphasize “digital veggies” and really promote more healthy tech practices. This experience has had a positive impact on the building student learning and achievement.
Deletekae lim williams
DeleteThe book Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras has many implications for society and for teachers. It discusses the use of computers, video games, tablets, and other technology and the effect these have on the children that utilize them. These devices have become increasingly used by children of all ages. A high percent of children play video games each day and the effect has been less than positive. It discusses the idea that the use these can attribute to the children becoming addicted.
ReplyDeleteThe social interaction of the use of the screens is very troubling. Children are not communicating with each other as they once did. They are often more connected to their device then they are to other people. Social media has replaced real relationships; they don’t have real friends they have Facebook friends. Skills are lost such as pleasure reading. Research indicates that continual playing of video games correlates to violent and aggressive behavior. This aggressive behavior is being seen in younger children Video games are violent and this can rob children of their innocence. They are no longer doing healthy activities such as playing outside, playing sports, or spending time in nature. Many are playing video games long into the night and coming to school sleep deprived. Mass shootings, such as the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, have been linked to playing of video games.
Use of screens has many implications for education in general. There has been an increase in ADHD over the last 30 years. Now the classroom must entertain students. Entertainment is more important than learning. It is a constant battle to get students’ attention. There have been links between compulsive texting and poor academic performance. Cyber bullying has added to the amount of suicide among teens.
While technology has its place in society, the book suggested that the use of technology in schools has been prompted by the large companies need to make money. Putting a computer or tablet in all students’ hands has made many individuals a lot of money. Use of the technology does not address the idea of student motivation or lack of motivation. Common Core did away with the need of textbook companies publishing individual textbooks based on state standards or curriculum.
Having worked on collecting the cell phones with the middle school students, I have had the opportunity to form relationships with my students that I could not have done in the same way. Seeing students each morning has enriched my personal relationships with many students. Greeting the students in the morning and having a brief conversation with many of them has been beneficial. I have the opportunity to remind students of thing, encourage students that are absent to come and see me 5th period for help on the work that they missed, and also I can witness with students are in a good or bad mood. I have even been able to teach math in the morning, much to the students dismay!
In today’s modern classroom, screens have been touted as necessary educational tools by which students process and utilize information. As evidenced in Glow Kids, when using a screen there is a disconnect in the way kids are learning. The screen is doing more of the processing and the child is doing less cognition work. As a result, students are less involved in the experience of the information transfer and knowledge building. Schools are turning to the iPad as a learning tool, however the message is mixed. Using the iPad may have certain educative value, but is also the ‘banking’ method of teaching, (Freire) by which the teacher or iPad lectures to the students and the students in turn have the knowledge deposited in their heads, without process, experimentation or understanding.
ReplyDeleteKardaras’s book, takes a step further in asserting with proof of research that screens are as addictive cocaine. This assertion, and I do not doubt its validity, takes the question of what role technology play in a classroom to a completely new level does/should. Not only do we, as educators need to insure that students are secure from the dangerous world of the internet and social media, but we also have to be aware that the minds of children can be hijacked in the process. Sending mixed messages the iPad or phone is a source of information however also can be a source of entertainment has confused a great many kids of this generation. Some families, (mine included) have even used the screen as an electronic babysitter. This begs the question, is the Ipad/phone/kindle/Chromebook a learning tool, social tool, parent, or all three?
Aside from setting up a generation of confused individuals about the role of the screen in society, there are clinical and neurological implications that are more than concerning to say the least. Kids who have developing brains are flooded with hormones such as dopamine and begin to experience issues from mood swings to psychosis. While this is alarming on an individual level, this is also very concerning on a generational level. Knowing that the majority of students are privy to several hours of screen time throughout the day, how will the altering of their brain affect all of our futures? As Karakas puts it “...the age of Glow Kids…children raised on a high-screen diet have laser focus for screens but little patience for anything else”
Finally, in my own experience with my daughter (9) and son (6) I heed Kardaras’s book as a warning bell. My husband and I have experienced our kids go into the ‘red zone’ if they have had too much screen time. They become irritable, overtired and difficult. This is very different from how they act when they are interacting on play dates or playing Legos. Back in October, my kids made a poor decision, which resulted in us completely taking away screens indefinitely. While this decision has made life challenging on a convenience level, the benefits of raising well-adjusted kids outweighs the need for the screen.
Elana Herman
ReplyDeleteGlow Kids by Dr. Nicholas Kardaras brings many ideas about children's use of screen time to the forefront. Through the many research studies pointed out in the book, Dr. Kardaras explains the many negative effects of students/children using screens including cell phones, laptops, video games, various social media websites.
Before we implemented the cell phone policy at SOTA, I observed students “lost” in their phones/headphones. Their eyes were literally glued to their screens in the hallway and at lunch. There were no conversations being had by students other than through various realms of social media and texting. In today’s ever changing world, we rely heavily on technology and screens, even as I write this response using a MIFI portable router on a car drive to NJ. Our world seems to “need” technology for pretty much anything. Since we have the new cell phone policy at school, I have seen observed students being more attentive and focused in class. Students are actually talking to each other and helping each other out more. They aren’t buried in their phones in the hallway. Conversations are being held with student-to-student and student-to-adult more often.
It is interesting to watch the students with their chromebooks this year. It sometimes seems that the cellphones were replaced with Chromebooks. Their cell phones, their most prized possession (for some) were in their eyes, taken away from them and students still view this as a negative thing. However, they all received Chromebooks this year. Some students have even figured out how to connect their Bluetooth headphones so that they can listen to music on their way to class. It shows that students are still “addicted” to any sort of technology - ie the Chromebooks. They use their Chromebooks all of the time and there are times that I have had to tell students to put them away - in band! It seems as though this issue has the potential for lifelong effects on students. When will they learn when the appropriate time is to use technology? They most likely won’t be allowed to use them in their future jobs. How do we as educators continue to teach them so they can be successful? I find students aren’t working hard or to their fullest potential. I’m sure once they get home from school they go straight to their screens. Some aren’t making any progress in their studies because they are glued to their phones/technology.
The author presents ideas for solutions that include therapy and treatment, education, awareness, and creating change. In general, a common sense approach is highlighted by Kardaras. Appropriate use of technology for kids needs to be both taught and reinforced, especially by parents at home. If parents are not reinforcing this at home then students will have a more difficult time at school when their teachers are also holding them accountable. Kardaras also explains the various treatment programs for these tech driven diagnosis - which is wild to think about but necessary given the studies that he presented in the book.
-Kerry Venanzi
I agree that cell phones can be damaging if not used judicially . Students, children and adults should use them as a tool and not a compulsion. Individuals and parents need to be careful as programmers are looking to make their apps as addictive as possible.
ReplyDeleteDawn Hohmann
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ReplyDeleteDr. Nicholas Kardaras examines how technology has profoundly affected the brains of an entire generation in his book Glow Kids. Brain imaging research is showing that stimulating glowing screens are as dopaminergic (dopamine activating) to the brain’s pleasure center as sex. And a growing mountain of clinical research correlates screen tech with disorders like ADHD, addiction, anxiety, depression, increased aggression, and even psychosis. Most shocking of all, recent brain imaging studies conclusively show that excessive screen exposure can neurologically damage a young person’s developing brain in the same way that cocaine addiction can. I have seen the students not be able to break away from their phones in the past. I’m so glad we are cell phone free during the school day.
DeleteTaking cell phones out of the classroom has had a positive effect academically as well as for the school culture. The constant battle and time-wasting asking students to put away devices is gone. The consistent interruption and distraction of calling for phones to be removed. It’s easier for the students to focus on the task at hand.
The implications for the future are promising as well as frightening. Cell phones are really minicomputers mainly used for texting, using maps, etc. the least amount of use is actually speaking on the phone! The ability to access information in seconds that would have meant a trip to the library and possibly getting help from a busy librarian. The challenge is to make sure the sources are factual and evidenced based. I had students telling me mermaids existed because they had seen them on YouTube. Students and people in general need to be able to verify reliable resources of online information from propaganda. Applications such as Facebook and other social media need to be able to police themselves regarding factual information posted. Unfortunately, the companies are unwilling or unable to do this.
Kardaras proposes a digital detox. Breaking free from all digital devices; phones, tablets, computers, even televisions for four to six weeks to reset the nervous system. Then bring back the technology incrementally. The likelihood of this being successful would be during the summer break for children. It would require diligence and planning by parents. Children would need plenty of encouragement and activity. A summer camp deep in the woods with activities and books could break children free from the addiction.
Students in my classes are more engaged and less distracted without cell phones. I still use technology in the form of online activities. I have modified the use. The students record their responses from online activities on paper. Students use to just cut and paste responses without considering the worth of the response. Recording and paper forces them to slow down and be more reflective. I also still use textbook work on a rotating basis. I want my students to be skilled in using many different resources to further their knowledge.
Dawn Hohmann
After reading Glow Kids I realize the growing issue of technology and "screen time" on our kids. Like all parents, I try to monitor my daughter's screen and what she does on line, knowing the impact it has on mental, emotional and physical health. The book, however, opened my eyes to the problem and truly how wide spread it is. Screen addiction is real. The impact of the "need" for a fix of whatever social media or video game or whatever is major. People instinctively going to their phones or whatever screen is available whenever they have a free moment is real. People lose their social graces, constantly looking on their phones when in social situations rather than being in the moment. I myself do this. I am not proud of it, but I'll peek a look at my phone at inappropriate times and whenever the opportunity presents itself. I can only imagine how this impacts children and young adults. Even with monitoring of my daughter's screen time I worry about its impact. How much worse the impact on children (often our students) whose screen time isn't monitored? The book lay out these in all too real descriptions and showed the stark reality of a future of young people addicted to their technological devices.
ReplyDeleteThe future prospects are not good. Continued unabated, the negatives of phone/screen addiction will outweigh any benefits from their use. The cell phone collection at School of the Arts is a positive step for the school community. Removal of the phones and the social media that they provide for students has allowed more focus on education as well as removal of the negative aspects of instant communication (classroom distraction, instant communication to meet or fight, drama from the "he said, she said" gossip to name a few ). It has not solved all of these issues. The issuing of chrome books has replaced the phones, students email rather than text. There is also an issue of websites that students are using instead of working as the district plays "whack-a-mole" over different inappropriate websites. However, progress is still being made and the issue has become more manageable in school. It also provides a short "digital detox" for the students, they are not consumed with social media for 6 hours of school. While this is not enough time to truly mitigate the issues brought about by excessive screen time, it is a start.
Prospects for the future are not promising. Much of our future occupations and entertainment will involve the use of technology, screens and social media. People are exposed to these in positive and negative ways at an earlier and earlier age. Use of screens is becoming more and more socially acceptable in places where it would have been unthinkable not too long ago. Despite the warnings in Glow Kids, I do not see a reversal of this trend. Social media is big business. Entertainment, games, online gambling are only growing. Technology companies make a lot of money selling new educational or business software. Companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon didn't exist 25 years ago, now they are among the biggest in the world. Hopefully, people will be able to manage their screen addiction and be able to break away from these devices. It is, however, more likely that more and more people will succumb to the negative aspects of this issue as so starkly described in Glow Kids.
Evan Wilson